Fire breaks out at The Stratum apartments, two firefighters injured

A fire broke out Monday at 3105 E. Stratum Way, an apartment building within The Stratum at Indiana Housing Compounds, injuring two firefighters.

An officer from the Bloomington Police Department said authorities first received a call about the fire from a passerby at 2:54 p.m.

“It said the porch was on fire, spreading rapidly,” said Matt Farris, a volunteer with the Indian Creek Volunteer Fire Department who heard the call close to 3 p.m. “Then within 30 seconds to a minute … ‘numerous units fully involved.’”

Captain Tania Daffron of the Bloomington Fire Department said Tuesday that eight apartments were damaged in the fire, with two more severely destroyed.
The fire, which is believed to have begun on the top floor of the apartment block, burned a hole through the roof and charred surrounding walls.

“The firefighters didn’t want any unexpected surprises,” said Daffron, who said water and electricity had been shut off throughout the apartment complex during the course of the fire.

The BFD has confirmed that no residents were injured in the fire. They did rescue a dog, however, which was rescued from one of the damaged apartments.

Two BFD firefighters were transported by ambulance from the scene to IU Health Hospital, where one suffered from heat exhaustion and the other, an ankle injury. Both were treated and released Monday night.

The ambulance service had also set up a firefighter rehab station at the scene – a common practice, according to Daffron, but especially critical due to Monday’s heat.

In their thick suits, firefighters were instructed to make visits to the station, where they could rest and stay hydrated with water and energy drinks.

According to BPD Lt. Bill Parker, officers from BPD arrived to the scene of the fire, where they observed fire alarms, residents standing in the street and flames coming out of the building
Resident and IU student Kevin Han, who lived in the building, said he first saw the fire on the balcony of his third-floor apartment. Han said he and his girlfriend were
watching television in his apartment when the fire alarm went off.

He caught sight of the flames when he climbed onto a chair to turn off the alarm.

“I ran to the kitchen to fill a bucket with water, but the flames got too big,” Han said.

He said the smoke then started seeping in through the gaps under his doors and around the windows, and the two ran out of the apartment — Han armed only with his cellphone.

His car keys were later salvaged by a Bloomington Fire Department firefighter.
Inspectors are checking to see how badly the individual units have been damaged, but from the front of the building it was clear that all three levels of the building were affected.   

As of 5:30 p.m. on Monday, all power in the building has been switched off and residents have been asked to find temporary, alternate housing.

Angelia Wengert, who lives in an apartment at The Woods at Latimer, a compound situated right behind The Stratum, said she was on the phone when she began to smell, and then saw, smoke and fire rising from the other side of the woods.

She said she walked over to the apartment block to offer housing to displaced residents and to thank BFD firefighters.

“I feel very blessed for what they did today,” Wengert said. “They protected the whole community.”

The cause and extent of damage of the fire is still under investigation. Police do not have any involvement in the case unless fire investigators determine the fire was caused by criminal activity, Parker said.

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